Sports hat

ABSTRACT

A sports hat constructed of a crown with multiple tapered interconnected panels terminating at an elliptical peripheral edge, a stiffened brim extending radially outward to a circular shape. The brim being stiffened to maintain a predefined or wearer adjusted shape with the sides curling upwards. The leading edges of the curled sides may be drawn together by the wearer to form a pointed shape to the brim. The crown including a sweatband that is completely enclosed within the crown and is either fixed or adjustable. The multiple tapered panels of the crown and brim being customized with logos, advertisements, and other insignia representing the wearer&#39;s special interests.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to head wear and more particularly to a hat consisting of a stiff wide circular formable brim with a semi-rigid multi-sectional spherical crown allowing for the ease of customization to reflect the wearer's special interests.

The traditional cowboy hat consists of a wide brim with a tall crown and is typically constructed of felt, leather, or straw. A cowboy hat is constructed of a single piece of material that is stretched or woven into the desired shape. The cowboy hat brim is formed with upwardly curled sides. The curled sides may be angled inward at the front creating a generally triangular shaped brim when viewed from above. The brim may be angled slightly downward in the rear to better shed rainfall from the hat, protecting the wearer from rain penetrating the collar and preventing damaging sunlight onto the neck. Cowboy hats are traditionally fitted to the wearer by offering standard sizes, with slight adjustments being made by adding padding between the sweatband and the crown. Traditional cowboy hats are expensive to manufacture due to their single piece construction and the labor intensive steps required in forming the high crown.

A wearer of cowboy hats typically adorns the hat brim or crown with specialty pins to reflect their varying interests. These pins are easily knocked off the hat and do not always fit properly when large ornamentation pins are used. Likewise, these special interest pins are limited in their design and cannot encompass the entire crown, brim, or transitional space between them.

A typical sports cap is constructed of fabric with multiple panels forming the crown, with a stiff brim on the front of the crown. The fabric is easily customized during and after cap manufacture to create different styles and designs on both the crown and brim. The crown and brim may be customized using fabric selection, various printing techniques, embroidery, or appliqués. The cap customization may be designed so that it extends from the crown and onto the brim's upper and lower surfaces. The absence of a continuous brim allows the crown to be adjusted to fit the wearer by reducing the circumference of the crown by bunching the sweatband, or by providing a notch in the rear of the crown.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,616(filed: Mar. 20, 1997) is shown a foldable hat including a folding stiff segmented brim, a flexible crown with an integral notch for the adjustable sizing band and convenient stowage. The notched crown required for the adjustable headband detracts from the overall style and appearance of the hat. Likewise, the stiff brim segments must remain flat to allow it to be folded, and the flexible crown is then bunched and gathered for storage.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,520(filed: Aug. 4, 1997) is shown a hat brim for converting a sports cap into a wide brimmed hat. The wearer attaches the sports cap to the brim in such a way as to leave the sports cap's headband adjustment exposed. This attachment method also creates several seams where the hat brim and sports cap meet, thereby detracting from the overall appearance. On a typical sports cap, the brim and crown are attached to each other in such a way as to promote a downward curl in the sports cap brim. When placing the sports cap brim in the hat brim pocket, the hat brim sides and cap brim are prevented from being curled upward significantly without deforming the front of the crown. When the headband is adjusted to fit a wearer with a small crown, the sports cap brim would be pulled from the hat brim creating a significant and undesirable transition between the specialty cap design and the hat brim.

In U.S. Design Pat. No. 314,857 (filed: Nov. 20, 1987) is shown a unique design for a flexible cap with a crown made from multiple tight and open mesh fabric panels with a notch in the rear panels, a narrow flexible brim and an adjustable sizing band is stretched between the notched rear panels. It is obvious from the illustrations that the adjustable sizing band deforms the flexible crown and brim to conform to the circumference of the wearer's head.

Hats and caps were traditionally worn for protection from the elements like sun, rain and wind. Today, the wearer of a hat or cap is more apt to choose a cap or hat that displays their affiliation to a special interest, manufacturer, or product. Many companies promote their products or services by offering caps or hats with their logos, trademarks, product names, or other artwork printed, embroidered or affixed to a hat or cap.

Ideally, there should be a stiff wide brimmed hat that is formed into the shape desired by the manufacturer and wearer, with a multi-segmented spherical crown that can be easily and inexpensively produced in a variety of designs to reflect the wearer's special interest while maintaining an attractive, seamless styling.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a hat with a full circular stiff brim with curled sides which protects the wearer from the elements, and a high semi-rigid spherical crown with multiple panels that allow for customization by various designs or the application of artwork representing the wearer's special interests, and may include a fixed or adjustable headband or sweatband fully concealed within the crown.

In another embodiment, this new hat design would allow further customization after the hat is produced using currently available equipment by vendors, dealers, and suppliers, with screen or pad printing, embroidery, or appliqués, to create a protective, stylish hat for displaying a message, logo, trademark, or other artistic design, indicative of the wearer's affiliation or special interests.

In another embodiment, the new sports hat crown is constructed with several of the tapered crown segments selected from breathable materials to allow better ventilation of the wearer's crown.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To enable the present invention to be easily understood and readily practiced, the present invention will now be described for purposes of illustration and not limitation, in connection with the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top, front perspective view of the Sports Hat.

FIG. 2 is a top, rear perspective view of the Sports Hat.

FIG. 3 is a bottom, front perspective view of the Sports Hat illustrating an adjustable headband.

FIG. 4 is a bottom, front perspective view of the Sports Hat illustrating a non-adjustable headband.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a multilayered fabric covered brim.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1 is a Sports Hat 10 including a crown 12 and a semi-rigid brim 14. The crown consists of multiple tapered panels 13 connected together to form a spherical shape with an elliptical peripheral edge where the panels terminate and joined to the brim 14.

The brim 14 includes a means to stiffen the brim so that it may be formed and maintain the desired shape of the cap manufacturer or wearer. In the hat and cap industry, a multitude of materials and construction methods are known and used for stiffening the brim and crowns of hats and caps. Some materials are inherently formable, stiff or semi-rigid when produced, for example, felt, leather, cardboard, plastic, foam, and some coarse open or closed weave fabrics. While other construction methods, as shown in FIG. 5, may be used to create a laminated material 29 to achieve the desired outer surface texture or design and possess the rigidity needed to stiffen a hat or cap while remaining formable. For example, these may include an inner formable, semi-rigid material 30 like plastic, cardboard, or fabric impregnated with a resin or binder that maintains the shape when formed by the manufacturer or wearer, and covered with a natural or synthetic fabric or similar material 31 and 32. The outer fabric layers 31 and 32 may be attached to the inner material 30 by an adhesive 33. Some fabric materials 31 and 32 may be stretched over the inner material 30 and remain attached without the need for an adhesive. The outer fabric layers 31 and 32 may be attached to the inner stiffener 30 by adhesive or glue 33 or stitching 34.

Now referring to FIG. 1, the brim 14 is constructed from a continuous piece of material formed into the desired shape and joined to the elliptical peripheral edge of the hemispherical crown 12. The brim 14 is formed into a shape with the side edges of the brim curled upwards 20, as shown in FIG. 1. The front of the curled sides may be angled inwards forming a soft point in the front of the Sports Hat. Once a shape is formed into the brim, the brim material will hold the desired shape.

The crown 12 is formed by multiple tapered panels 13 sewn together or interconnected by adhesive to create a radial seam 17. The tapered panels terminate at a central point on the spherical crown which is covered by a crown button 16, which may be sewn, riveted, or glued in place. The outer peripheral edge of the tapered panels creating an elliptical edge is joined to the brim 14. The crown 12 may be joined to the brim 14 by stitching, adhesive, hook and loop fastener, snaps, or zipper. The interior of the radial seam 17 that forms between adjacent sewn tapered panels 13 may be covered by a seam material 26 as shown in FIG. 3. The radial seam 17 may be accented by parallel stitching 18 as shown in FIG. 1.

Various artwork or designs 19 may be printed, embroidered, or attached to the multi-segmented crown 12 or brim 14. The tapered panel 13 may consist of several sub-panels 27, 27′, and 27″ joined together by sewing, printing, or glued together to create a unique crown panel 13. The crown panel design may extend onto the brim top and bottom surfaces. Various printing methods, embroidery, or the attachment of appliqués 19 may be sewn or adhered to the crown 12 or brim 14.

Now referring to FIG. 2 is a rear isometric view of the Sports Hat that illustrates perspiration vent holes 21 that may be designed into the crown. These perspiration vent holes may be cut through the fabric panel 13 and then stitched around the hole to prevent the fabric from unraveling. Other techniques known within the industry may be used to add perspiration vent holes to the various materials used to construct the crown panels 13.

One or more open weave ventilation panels 28 may be used to construct the crown 12 to increase the comfort of the wearer. These ventilation panels allow heat and perspiration to escape from within the crown and to allow air flow into the crown.

A hat band 24 may be attached to the exterior perimeter of the crown 12 along the brim. The hat band may be manufactured from any type of material. The hat band can be a flat ribbon or round cord shaped material. The hat band is typically ornamental; but may serve as a medium for joining the brim 14 to the peripheral edge of the crown 12 by stitching or adhesive.

Now referring to FIG. 3, the crown may include a stiffener 15 inserted between the crown panels and the non-adjustable sweatband 24. The stiffener may be of cardboard, plastic, or a fabric material coated with a substance to prevent bending as known and used within the hat and cap industry. Each crown panel 13 may be lined on the interior surface with a coating or second material to resist bending thereby maintaining the spherical crown shape.

An edge of the non-adjustable sweatband 24 is attached along the front and side periphery edges of the crown where it joins the brim as shown in FIG. 3. The other edge of the sweatband extends into the interior of the crown without attachment. The ends of the non-adjustable sweatband 24 are attached to the ends of an adjustable headband 22. The adjustable headband may be constructed from a multitude of materials and methods as known within the industry. These include hook and loop fasteners, sold under the trademark VELCRO, or by pins and holes, fabric belts with buckles, and plastic snaps for adjusting the circumference of the interior headband or sweatband to fit the wearer.

Now referring to FIG. 4, a non-adjustable sweatband 24 is joined to the periphery of the spherical crown along one edge, the opposite edge extends into the interior of the crown without attachment. The ends of the sweatband 24 are attached to each other at a point along the periphery. Different sizes of Sports Hats with non-adjustable sweatband or headbands would be offered to fit the wearer's crown circumference. The wearer would make slight size adjustments to the sweatband periphery by inserting tissue, fabric or other soft material between the sweatband and the crown.

It should be recognized that the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only. A latitude of modification, change, and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. 

1. A sports hat comprising: a crown having multiple interconnected tapered panels terminating at a bottom, generally elliptic peripheral edge, the bottom edge having front, back, and opposite side portions, the crown including a stiffening means for maintaining the crown in a generally spherical shape, a brim extending generally radially outwardly from the bottom edge of the crown around the entire periphery thereof, the outer periphery forming a generally circular shape, the brim including stiffening means for maintaining the shape of the brim, the outer edges of the brim corresponding to the opposite side portions of the crown curled upwards.
 2. A sports hat as defined in claim 1, wherein the brim is made from any one of felt, leather, straw, or a fabric covered material.
 3. A sports hat as defined in claim 2, wherein the interconnected tapered crown panel is selected from the group consisting of felt, leather, cardboard, plastic, closed weave fabric, or open weave mesh fabric.
 4. A sports hat as defined in claim 4, further comprising: a headband attached to the peripheral edge of the crown and extending along the entire circumference of the peripheral edge, the opposite edge of the headband extending into the top portion of the crown.
 5. A sports hat as defined in claim 4, further comprising: a non-adjustable headband section with two ends and two edges, and attached to the peripheral edge of the crown along the first edge, and extending along the front and both side peripheral edges of the crown, the second edge of the headband extending into the top portion of the crown, and an adjustable sizing headband section with two ends, the first end attached to the first end of the non-adjustable headband section, the opposite end attached to the second end of the non-adjustable headband section, extending across the interior back portion of the crown and closely following the curvature of the lower crown peripheral edge.
 6. A sports hat as defined in claim 4, further comprising: a stylistic artwork applied to the crown or brim by screen or pad printing, embroidery, or appliqué.
 7. A sports hat as defined in claim 5, further comprising: a stylistic artwork applied to the crown or brim by screen or pad printing, embroidery, or appliqué. 